The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017

Today’s stories in the dailies include President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s congratulatory message to the Comoro on 42 Independence Anniversary, the launching of the awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the hosting of county tournament in honor of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the forthcoming Golden Image Award to be held on July 20, 2017.

Pres. Sirleaf Congratulates the Comoros on 42 Independence Anniversary

The Inquirer newspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a Congratulatory Message to her colleague, the President of the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, His Excellency Mr. Azali Assoumani on the occasion of that country’s 42^nd Independence Anniversary on July 6. The Comoros celebrates its Independence Day on July 6, when it gained independence from France in 1975.The Union of the Comoros consists of four islands: Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan and Mayotte. In 1973 France and the Comoros agreed on gaining independence that would come into effect in 1978. However, the referendums were held on all four islands and majority of the population of three islands voted for independence, while inhabitants of Mayotte were against it. Such, France granted independence in 1975. Since inhabitants of Mayotte were against independence, the island is still administered by France.

Finance Ministry Launches SDGs Awareness

The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) on Thursday, 6 July launched an awareness campaign in Montserrado County on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda 2063. The Finance Ministry says the awareness campaign in Montserrado County targets 600 students. Also speaking, the Minister of Finance and Development Planning Boima Kamara says the awareness is very important because it tries to bring basic social services to the people of Liberia. Minister Kamara thanked the students for attending the launch. Speaking at the launch on Thursday, the Director for Monitoring and Evaluation Unit D. Emmanuel Williams said in September 2015, countries around the world including Liberia adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all, writes New Dawn newspaper.

Working Relations Between the Legislature And Executive is Very Smooth Pro Tempore Jallah Tells Visiting Nigerian Delegation

The Inquirer newspaper quotes a Foreign Ministry release:Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor has identified lack of proper capacity of Members of the Legislative Branch as one of the handicaps they face in the discharge of their duties. According to a Foreign Ministry release, the lawmaker, who is a Senator representing Bong County, indicated that because of this gap and several others, the acceptance of huge patronage is extended to the Legislative Branch by the Executive Branch. Senator Taylor stressed that from her experience of over 12 years in the Liberian Senate, she has come to realize that “because of the over centralized nature of our system, heavy Executive patronage is still being practiced, and lapses in the functioning of the Legislature, this struggle continues. As a result, there remain many gaps and challenges.” Senator Taylor was one of five government officials, who Thursday, July 6, lectured the visiting Nigerian delegation from the Institute of Security Studies (ISS), Abuja, here on a one-week study tour in collaboration with the Gabriel L. Dennis Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Related Caption:Senator Taylor identifies Gaps, Challenges between Legislature and Executive as she and other Government officials lecture visiting Nigerian delegation(Focus)

MYS to Host Four-county Tournament for President Sirleaf

 TheFocus newspaper reads that a special Independence Day tournament code named “Who owns the Land” is expected to be organized in honor of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. According to the Chairman of the organizing committee, Assistant Sports Minister, Murvee Gray, the tournament is scheduled for July 21-22. The four counties tournament will bring to action 2016/2017 County Meet Champions, Montserrado, Maryland, Margibi and Nimba County. Chairman Gray disclosed that the tournament will display two disciplines, Football and Kickball.

Golden Image Award Set for July 20

Liberia’s Culture Ambassador and head of the Golden Image Award has disclosed that this year’s Golden Image Award is very important and added that some international personalities are expected to grace the ceremony. Ambassador Julie Endee said that this year’s celebration of the Golden Image Award is for peace and called on the people of Liberia to continue striving to keep the peace. Making the disclosure yesterday at the Ministry of Information press briefing, Ambassador Endee said the award is about giving to the people who are still alive and it is her institution’s way of expressing thanks and appreciation, the Inquirer newspaper reads.

Related Caption:Seventh Golden Image Award Edition Expected Liberia Cultural Ambassador Announces the Holding(Focus)

Liberian Youth Shines in U.S.

A young Liberian engineer Elton B. Seton in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America, designed and built a robot with a group of middle school students from Wrens Middle School to later win the national championship. The project is named the C-4. This program was designed to encourage young Americans into the field of engineering. Annual competitions are held in various states and a final national competition is also held to determine which school project will come in first for the school year. As a group, they designed and built a robot that opens a can of soda, pours it into a cup and then crushes the can, theInquirer newspaper reads.

LACC Conducts Training Today, For Managers of Assets Declaration Regime

The Liberia anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) in collaboration with the USAID-LPAC Program is today conducting a one-day training session for designated persons managing the Assets Declaration Regime of Liberia, an LACC press release said yesterday. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf along with heads of some foreign missions and international organizations are expected to make remarks at the formal opening of the training taking place at the Corrina Hotel in Monrovia. The training will focus on how to manage a trust; an overview of the legal requirements; the regulation and its enforcement penalties, and reporting; the process of filling Assets Declaration forms; and securing the files and sharing of information with the LACC Asset Declaration and Verification Unit, reports the Daily Observer.

House Probes US$30M Foya Rice Farm Shutdown

According to the Daily Observer, the failed US$30 million Mechanized Rice Production Project funded by the Libyan government through a concession grant from the African Development Agency (ADA) is under investigation by the House of Representatives. The Foya Agricultural Project was managed by Wendell McIntosh. The House has mandated its Committee on Agriculture, Fishery & Forestry, chaired by Grand Bassa County District #2 Representative Byron W. Zahnwea, to probe why the project was shut down, and to report in two weeks. The investigation was prompted by a letter from Grand Bassa County District #4 Representative J. Byron Browne. In his letter to the Speaker on Tuesday, July 4, the Grand Bassa County lawmaker said the management of ADA must appear before “this august body to provide a comprehensive status report covering the ADA concession.”  

Farmington Hotel General Manager Resigns 

The Daily Observer reports that following reports of bad labor practices that resulted in the retrenchment of over 40 employees at Farmington Hotel, the general manager will quit his post today. In his letter of resignation dated July 5, with copies addressed to all the employees, Roland Stilting said, “I have decided to leave the Farmington Hotel as general manager as of July 7, and move on to a new challenge after some vacation with my family.” It can be recalled that the recent euphoria that greeted about 180 new employees of the Farmington Hotel near Robertsfield, Lower Margibi County, was short-lived when the management announced the termination of 40 of them. He is expected to leave the country today.  

Dr. Robtel Pailey Goes to AfDB--Courtesy of Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellowship 

Young Liberian scholar Robtel Neajai Pailey has been selected as one of three successful candidates for the 2017 Mo Ibrahim Foundation (MIF) Leadership Fellows. Dr. Pailey was one of three announced by the foundation on Tuesday, with the other two hailing from Botswana and Senegal. They were successful out of over 2,000 candidates who applied for the latest edition of the fellowship. Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey, as she is prominently known, is a Liberian academic, activist and author based at the University of Oxford. Making the official pronouncement on its website, the MIF said, “Today we announce the 2017 Ibrahim Leadership Fellows, who will make up the program’s sixth cohort. The three Ibrahim Fellows are Robtel Neajai Pailey (Liberia), Ndapiwa Segole (Botswana) and Oulimata Fall (Senegal),” writes the Daily Observer.

VPA, EU to Strengthen FDA Operations

The Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) will today turn over a building that has been reconditioned in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County for use by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA). The building was initially built by the Liberian government in 1981 and was one of the four structures that previously housed the FDA’s offices in Buchanan, a press statement issued in Monrovia yesterday by the public relations department of the FDA said. To further strengthen the FDA’s law enforcement capacity at the national level, the VPA will provide forest and logistical equipment which include motorbikes, laptops and printers, GPS units, uniforms and cameras for use by the FDA’s regional office, asserts the Daily Observer.

NGO Conducts Land Rights Training in Lofa

The Development Education Network Liberia DEN-L with support from the European Commission through the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development CAFOD is conducting a three day capacity building for Civil Society Organizations and community members in Voinjama. The three-day capacity building training which is part of a three-year Land Rights for Liberia Project titled “Promoting and Protecting community Land Rights for National Development” is valued over $1 million United States dollars, according to the New Dawn newspaper.

Drugs Shortage Hits Dolo Town Health Center

The head of the Dolo Town Clinic in Margibi’s second district has warned that the facility faces a shortage of drugs. Macfarlane Kerkula said the situation is posing serious challenges to the operations of the medical facility. He added that since the beginning of the year, the facility has experienced a serious cut in its drug supply from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Kerkula told the Bush Chicken that the facility is unable to take care of the growing medical needs of the people of Dolo Town and the surrounding communities, Focus newspaper writes.  

Public Works Closes Timbo River Bridge for Major Repair 

The Ministry of Public Works has declared the damaged Timbo River Bridge partially closed for a major repair. The closure came four days following an emergency repair that was done by one of the logging companies in the county. River Cess County Inspector Trokon Browne had earlier said the previous work was not satisfactory and needed attention. On Wednesday, July 5, a team from the Ministry of Public Works began construction on the bridge and halted the flow of traffic. Clarence Fredericks, Liberia’s chief engineer told the bush chicken that the work is intended to strengthen the bridge to accommodate larger vehicles, the Focus newspaper asserts.